Josephine Proul

Chef/Owner
Local 111 & C.U.B Catering

Recognized as the Best Chef in Columbia County for 2015 and 2016, as well as the recipient of the Fourth Annual Victoria A. Simons Locavore Award in 2013, Chef Josephine Proul embarked on her journey with Local 111 in 2008. Freshly graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Culinary Arts from the New England Culinary Institute, she returned to Philmont, NY, becoming Local's Chef and General Manager. In 2014, when the previous owners passed the torch, Josephine eagerly embraced the challenge of ownership with open arms. "It's a destination for Philmont," she asserts. "People come here to visit, maybe stay at an Airbnb. I could have worked in New York City, but if I'm not here, no one would be. They need this in Philmont."

Known as "Jo" to regulars (and nearly everyone who knows her), Josephine brings a sixth-generation Californian's perspective and deep roots in Sicilian heritage to her culinary passion. Immersed in food culture from infancy, Jo's childhood included stirring risottos and hand-grinding sausages with her grandfather during their family's weekly dinner tradition. At 14, she landed her first job at a pizza place, igniting her enduring love for the culinary arts.

In 2004, Josephine moved to Philmont when Local 111 was still a garage in the center of the village with a chain-link fence around it. This corner was a focal point even then, with Stewart’s across the street (now the Philmont Co-op). With its green truck—called CUB for “Creating Unique Bonds.” Josephine is now involved in both places, emphasizing that it takes a village to run a Co-op. She is fully invested in the town.

The hardest struggle at the restaurant is changing the mindset within the community about what’s going on there. It’s actually a big hub for jobs for teenagers and adults, for families. Between the restaurant and the catering company, there are about 40 employees now. The impact of Local 111 has changed this community, demonstrating its thriving nature.

"We try to keep it real. There’s always diversity and division in a community. Being aware of the community, contributing to the community, that’s part of an active business model. The restaurant and the Philmont Co-op are both a part of that. The two businesses are very symbiotic. Eventually, something happens in a community, something shifts, and people start to believe that change is possible. There are some naysayers at first; people are like, 'oh, this is never going to happen...' But it’s happening."